Moments of Magic #8 – Trevor Sinclair

Now one of the richest clubs in England, Queens Park Rangers are focused on getting back to the top flight, and this week Moments of Magic looks at one of their greatest ever goals.

#8 Trevor Sinclair v Barnsley, 1997

The FA Cup produces its fair share of spectacular goals, and they don’t come much better than the one scored by Trevor Sinclair in the third round of the 1996/97 competition.

After some neat build up play on the right hand touchline, a speculative cross from the wing was met by a stunning overhead kick by Sinclair just outside the penalty area.

The winger connected perfectly with the ball and his effort flew past keeper Dave Watson and into the net.

Sinclair’s spectacular effort was a worthy winner of the Match of the Day Goal of the Season award.

Speaking in an interview with The Independent newspaper in 2007, Sinclair said of the goal – “A few of the lads have been giving me grief about it. They say, ‘I can’t believe you’re still on about that goal after 10 years.’ I try to recreate it in training and they have a chuckle. But as your back gets stiffer and you get older it’s not so easy.

“I know it’s a popular clip on YouTube, and people still ask me about it. It’s nice to be remembered.”

Having left QPR in 1998 to join West Ham United, Sinclair moved to Manchester City, the club he supported as a child, in 2003 and stayed for four years.

He was part of the England squad at the 2002 World Cup, and earned 12 international caps in total.

Sinclair retired from professional football in 2008 after a spell with Cardiff City, and he now lives in Dubai.

Author Info

Neil Sherwin

Co-editor of BackPageFootball.com and BackPageRugby.com. Writes mostly on Premier League, A-League and MLS with contributions to other sites including TheFootballSack, InBedWithMaradona and Bloomberg's BSports. Has featured on The Guardian's Football Weekly.